The FBI has apparently joined the investigation into Carlee Russell’s mysterious toddler roadside kidnapping case.
Russell, 25, went missing after she called 911 to report a toddler wandering along Interstate 459 on July 13 in Hoover, Alabama.
She showed up at her parents home on Saturday night and was transported to a local hospital before being discharged home on Sunday.
“There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” Russell’s mother, Talitha Russell told NBC’s TODAY on Tuesday.
Talitha Russell said her daughter was kidnapped and “she was not in a good state” when she returned home.
“We tried to hug her as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state. So we’ve had to stand back and let medical professionals work with her,” Talitha said.
She added that police are still pursuing Russell’s kidnapper.
The FBI’s alleged involvement in the case was revealed on the “Gray Hughes Investigates” YouTube channel on Monday.
Hughes purchased the full Interstate 459 traffic camera video for $250 from Traffic Cam Archive, a company that captures and preserves high-quality traffic camera footage.
Hughes explained that the FBI contacted Traffic Cam Archive to ask why 1 minute and 46 seconds of footage was cut from the full video.
The footage was cut before Russell parked her Mercedes Benz just out of camera range on I-459. Her Mercedes was parked out of camera range for over 3 minutes.
The car’s hazard lights can be seen flashing at the bottom of the camera frame at the 31:32 mark of the video. Russell then drove slowly to the spot on I-459 where she abandoned her car and ran into the woods.
Police said she left her wig, purse and cell phone near her car. She apparently took her Taziki’s food order with her.
